Last night was a bitterly disappointing one for Arsenal fans. Some perhaps went a little overboard in their efforts to take away the pain but even the saner among us found a hand inching towards the nearest bottle of lighter fluid.
It wasn’t defeat per se that was difficult to take. It was the manner of it. To get so hyped up for a contest, to convince oneself that victory was possible, only to have the dream ripped to pieces in little over 10 minutes. It was a depressing sight.
I had mentioned to friends before kick off that I’d be happy so long as we gave it a good go and kept it interesting until the last. To be fair to the lads, they started with the right attitude. The tempo was quick and the crowd, who were in good voice, were just beginning to sense something special.
It all changed, however, when Manyoo got the slice of luck that their first-leg superiority probably warranted.
Arsenal really needed to get the first goal to keep the tie interesting as a contest, yet they were undone not eight minutes in by a dreadfully unfortunate slip from the 19-year-old left back Kieran Gibbs, allowing Park Ji-Sung to steal in and lift the ball over Almunia.
This goal – against the run of play – was the best thing the United players could have hoped for. Not only did Arsenal now require three goals, they would also have to fight to reinvigorate the stunned supporters rendered mute by the concession of such an early goal.
This second challenge was made all but impossible by the Ronaldo freekick that followed three minutes later. Two-nil down. Game over. That was certainly the feeling with the Arsenal support. There just isn’t the belief anymore. Some might question the fans – especially the ones who felt it necessary to leave after the third went in – but it’s difficult to blame them.
How much investment do they put in – emotional and financial? A lot, is the answer. They are entitled to expect a little more in return. More effort. More quality. More passion. What the fans got last night was a ‘fuck you’. ‘Fuck you for caring’. How cruel a mistress football can be.
Of course everyone is now rolling out the familiar accusations: Arsenal have no experience; it was men against boys; Wenger needs to go. The truth is less dramatic.
Yes Arsenal were second best throughout. Yes this is not where we want to be. And yes Wenger needs to strengthen in the summer. But there is no need to panic. Our Kenyan friend perhaps jumped the gun and it is unfortunate that he won’t be around to regret his hasty decision.
First of all, it is an impressive achievement in itself to get to the semi-final of the Champions League, especially in the context of Arsenal’s ever-presence in the competition under Wenger and our appearance in the final three years ago.
Secondly, although we were comprehensively outplayed in the first leg, in the second leg we were extremely unfortunate to concede such an early goal. A bright start had indicated a victory might be on the cards, but the wind was taken from our sails by an early slip which resulted in a goal. I don’t blame Kieran Gibbs, it was an accident. Sadly it was an accident that could not have happened at a worse time.
This, however, brings me to my third point: injuries. Young Gibbs would not have been playing if first-choice left-back Gael Clichy had been fit. It’s fair to point out that title winning teams need good squad depth, but this season, at various points, and for a significant number or games, Arsenal have had to make do without Eduardo, Walcott, Rosicky, RvP, Fabregas, Diaby, Gallas, Clichy, Adebayor and Djourou. That’s one short of an entire team.
To make matters worse these injuries have tended to stack up in the most awkward of ways. This was most obvious when, during the same period as welcoming back the attacking trio of Fabregas, Walcott and Eduardo, we lost the defensive quartet of Almunia, Clichy, Gallas and Sagna. My intention here is not to moan, but simply to point out that things could have been different had lady luck had been a bit kinder with injuries.
The final reason to remain quietly optimistic is the state of the squad. Some players have clearly underperformed this season and the manager would do well to ship them out. I’m thinking mainly of Adebayor (lazy), Diaby (greedy) and Silvestre (shit). Denilson, Bendtner, Djourou and Song have not exactly set the world alight either but I have seen enough from them, given their young age, to think they’re worth holding on to.
Other than that the team is very good. I rate Fabregas, Theo, Nasri, Gallas, Clichy, Sagna, Toure, RvP and Almunia all pretty highly. If we can add to these the experience, energy and strength that we quite clearly need, then we will have a very competitive team next year, especially with the exceptionally talented Andrei Arshavin now involved.
This guy is pure class. He also has experience. Not only will he be instrumental in the coming seasons, but I suspect his eye-catching introduction to English football will have convinced Wenger that splashing out on top draw players – as long as they are the right players – can be worth every penny.
There are likely to be funds available during the summer thanks to the continued interest and investment from Kroenke and his rival Usmanov. Couple this with Wenger’s guile in the transfer market, and the undoubted ambition of the club’s new Managing Director Ivan Gazidis, and there is reason to believe a much needed overhaul will begin in the summer.
Given Wenger’s forlorn look and unusually introspective comments following last night’s defeat – and given also that the defeat effectively ended Arsenal’s involvement in meaningful competition this season, save perhaps an outside shot at stealing 3rd from Chelsea – there is a possibility that the recruitment drive has already begun.
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